Take this quiz to get a sense of whether or not you’re an intuitive eater. Whatever your score, it is not cause for concern or worry. This is simply an assessment to see where you are now – no judgement! Consider that your responses merely indicate how much you might need this Intuitive Eating program. Imagine how you will feel when you are genuinely able to change your responses – being free from food and body anxiety, with self-confidence and inner trust of your body’s innate wisdom.
The following is an adaptation of the Intuitive Eating Scale – 2 developed by Tracy Tylka, a psychologist and researcher, and her team at the Ohio State University to objectively measure intuitive eating.
Are You an Intuitive Eater?
Keep count and give yourself one point for each statement you agree with.
Unconditional permission to eat
- I try to avoid certain foods high in fat, carbs, sugar, or kcals
- I have forbidden foods that I don’t let myself eat
- I get mad at myself for eating something unhealthy
- If I crave a certain food, I don’t allow myself to have it
- I follow rules that dictate what/when/how much to eat
Eating for physical rather than emotional reasons
I eat when I’m feeling:
- Emotional (anxious, depressed, sad…)
- Lonely
- Bored
- Stressed out…even though I’m not physically hungry
- I use food to help me soothe negative emotions
Reliance on hunger and satiety cues
- I don’t trust my body to tell me when to eat
- I don’t trust my body to tell me what to eat
- I don’t trust my body to tell me how much to eat
- I don’t trust my body to tell me when to stop eating
- I can’t tell when I’m slightly hungry
- I can’t tell when I’m slightly full
Body-food choice congruence
- Most of the time, I don’t want to eat nutritious foods
- I don’t often eat foods that make my body perform well
- I don’t often eat foods that give my body energy and stamina
Your Score:
For each statement you agree with, give yourself one point and calculate your total score.
If you scored…
15-19 Don’t worry, but you may not have the best relationship with food and eating. You are not alone and there are a lot of things that you can do and skills you can work on to develop a healthier relationship with food. It is possible with practice to unlearn the diet mentality and shift into a more intuitive way of eating.
10-14 Food rules more than likely dictate a large portion of your eating behavior. You likely feel stressed out about what, when, and how much to eat a lot of the time. You may be reliant on apps, calorie trackers, rules, and meal or diet plans to guide your eating. By working on becoming a more intuitive eater you can shift into YOU being the expert of YOU and develop confidence in knowing what, when, and how much to eat.
5-9 You eat intuitively most of the time, but there still may be some areas that you want to work on to help you become more in tune with your body.
0-4 Congrats! You’re relationship with food is pretty darn good. You may have a few minor areas to work on, but overall your are doing great.
